Chapter 5 (257-264) Summary

Phaedrus, full of admiration for the speech delivered by Socrates is confident of its superiority over the speech written by Lysias.

Writing can be as beneficial as it can be cruel, being also the evidence of either poor effort or the subject of conceit for those who like to boast. Engaging in competition allows for a chance to become immortal. Writing inspires differently than other professions as failure to be selected is met more often with admiration rather than disdain as it may happen with other professions. Writing is also a profession that encourages a high regard by those involved, who consider themselves as being above other professions.

Socrates considers writing as honorable if it is endowed with good qualities. The more important issue for him is what makes a good or bad writing rather than whether to engage in it...